Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a town and commune in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie département, at the foot of Mont Blanc. At the census of 1999 it had a population of 9,830 inhabitants and a land area of 116.53 km² (44.99 sq mi). The town lies at an altitude of 1,035 metres. It held the 1924 Winter Olympics.
The valley was first mentioned in 1091, when it was granted by the Count of the Genevois to the great Benedictine house of St. Michel de la Cluse, near Turin, which by the early 13th century had established a priory there. However, in 1786 the inhabitants bought their freedom from the canons of Sallanches, to whom the priory had been transferred in 1519.
In 1530, the inhabitants obtained from the Count of the Genevois the privilege of holding two fairs a year, while the valley was often visited by the civil officials and by the bishops of Geneva (first recorded visit in 1411, while St. Francis de Sales came there in 1606). But travellers for pleasure were very rare.
The first party to publish (1744) an account of their visit was that of Dr. Richard Pococke, Mr. William Windham and other Englishmen who visited the Mer de Glace in 1741. In 1742 came P. Martel and several other Genevese, in 1760 H.B. de Saussure, and rather later Marc Th. Bourrit.
The growth of tourism in the early 19th century led to the formation of the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix in 1821, to regulate access to the mountain slopes (which were communally or co-operatively owned), and this association held a monopoly of guiding from the town until it was broken by French government action in 1892; thereafter guides were required to hold a diploma issued by a commission dominated by civil servants and members of the French Alpine Club rather than local residents.
From the late 19th century on, tourist development was dominated by national and international initiatives rather than local entrepreneurs, though the local community was increasingly dependent upon and active in the tourist industry.
The commune successfully lobbied to change its name from Chamonix to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in 1916. However, following the loss of its monopoly, the Compagnie reformed as an association of local guides, and retained an important role in local society; it provided the services of a friendly society to its members, and in the 20th century many of them were noted mountaineers and popularisers of mountain tourism, for example the novelist Roger Frison-Roche, the first member of the Compagnie not to be born in Chamonix.
The holding of the first Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924 further raised Chamonix's profile as an international tourist destination.
By the 1960s, agriculture had been reduced to a marginal activity, while the number
of tourist beds available rose to around 60,000 by the end of the 20th century, with
about 5 million visitors a year.
PLACE TO VISIT
Mer de Glace (Ice Sea), one of the biggest glaciers in continental Europe, accessible by the Montenvers rack railway. From the Montenvers Station one has great views on the glacier but also on the north Face of the Grand Jorasses, one of the three most famous North faces in the European Alps.
Aiguille du Midi cable car, one of the highest cable cars in the world, apart from a few in South America. In fact the Aiguille Du Midi starts at 1035 m and finishes at a staggering 3810 m! From the bottom to the top, it has the greatest vertical range in the world. Bring warm clothes. as the temperature is alway cold even in mid-summer.
Brevent cable car, on the other side of the valley, provides the best views of the Mont-Blanc massif. A round trip adult pedestrian (not skier) ticket is about 18 Euros.
In Les Houches you can take the Bellevue cable car (Telepherique de Bellevue) for another view of the Chamonix valley, with Mont Blanc to one side and the Brevent to the other. A short walk will allow you to see the other side of the mountain towards St. Gervais, Sallanches and the glacier de Bionnassay. In August 2005, a round-trip pedestrian adult ticket was 12.10 Euros.
Musée des cristaux, (crystals museum), a very nice museum, exhibiting an impressive collection of crystals, mostly from Chamonix, but also from the rest of the Alps and worldwide. Created and maintained through a paternership between the city council and the local Mineralogical club, it is both very aesthetic and scientific, displaying pedagogical posters. You will find it just behind the Maison de la Montagne and the church.
WHAT TO DO
Skiing - Vallée blanche (White Valley), glacier skiing. Needs a full day from the Aiguille du Midi cable car. The easiest route can be skiied by someone who is confident on red runs, although a guide is recommended.
The Brevent and la Flegere are the easiest ski areas to get to from the center of town. You can walk to the ski lift at le Brevent, or take a shuttle from a number of different drop of points. Skiing for all levels, but mostly mid- to extreme ski.
Les Houches is the best family resort, and often has the best low-altitude conditions. It is the only ski area with slopes below the treeline, so it is a good place to go when there is a lot of fog.
Le Tour is at the far end of the valley, towards Martigny. It has many easier slopes for beginners, but also some out-of-bounds skiing if you are willing to hike up with your skis. It is also a good place to go if you don't like being cold, because most slopes are in the sun (although it can still be very windy).
The Grand Montets has the most extreme and highest altitude slopes, and can be accessed from the town of Argentiere.
Hiking - Get a fantastic view on both the Mont-Blanc/Aiguilles de Chamonix range, and the ribbon of the Fiz limestone range:
Take the Brevent telepherique, then walk down the crest to the Bel-Lachat mountain hut, then walk down to the Rocher des Gaillands or (if slightly more courageous) to the Aiguillette des Houches and down, or
Walk up the steep lane from the Gaillands to Plan-Lachat, then Bel-Lachat, then on, up along the crest to the Brevent (about six hours and rather hot in summer: start early, but it is really worth the effort).
Several great glacier hikes exist. Even if you can't get right up to the glaciers and touch them, you can still get close enough to get some amazing views.
The first three could feasibly be done in one day if you are up early and have a car, but Bionnassay will require a half-day.
MOUNTAIN SPORTS
Chamonix is a popular winter sports resort in France. The 1924 Winter Olympics were held here. As the highest European mountain west of Russia, Mont Blanc holds a special allure for mountain climbers, and Jon Krakauer, in an essay in his collection Eiger Dreams, described the town as "the death-sport capital of the world" because Chamonix serves as an ideal playground for almost all types of outdoor activity, especially in their more extreme variants, such as ice climbing, rock climbing, extreme skiing, paragliding, rafting, canyoning.
Chamonix is famous for its spectacular cable car up to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m). Constructed in 1955 it was then the highest cable car in the world. Together with a cable car system going up to the Point Helbronner (3462m) from Entréves in the Aosta Valley (Italy) it is possible to cross the entire Mont Blanc Massif by cable car.
In the summer months Chamonix is a mecca for alpine mountaineers, drawn to the area by challenges like the north face of the Dru, the Frendo Spur on the Aiguille du Midi, traversing the Alps on the legendary GR 5 footpath or more accessible challenges like summitting Mont Blanc (by a number of possible routes).
Apart from high-mountain summer sports, Chamonix is also a destination for the hardcore mountain biker. As well as the obvious lift-assisted areas for Freeriders there are hundreds of kilometres of challenging hidden singletrack trails - often only found with the help of guides.
Chamonix is also a haven for advanced skiing and snowboarding. The Vallée
Blanche glacier runs down from below Mont Blanc du Tacul and the Aiguille du Midi
to the valley. This spectacular route can be skied or snowboarded, though care
should be exercised due to crevasses. Aside from that, the valley has about six
separate ski areas, including Le Brévent (a short but steep walk from the town
centre), La Flégère (at Les Praz), Les Planards (ski area for beginners and early
intermediates), Les Grands Montets (at Argentière) and Domaine de Balme (at Le
Tours). Many of these provide challenging terrain, especially off-piste, with runs
down to Switzerland. There is also a ski resort at Les Houches.
HOW TO REACH
Chamonix is connected to the valley by a highway and a small railway line. It is also connected to Courmayeur in Italy by road via the tunnel under the Mont-Blanc, and Martigny in Switzerland by road and rail.
In the winter there are TGV lines that go directly to St. Gervais-les-Bains, where you can switch to a small local train to ride up into Chamonix. There is also a TGV that leaves directly from Charles-de-Gaulle airport to Lyon, and you can transfer to St. Gervais-les-bains from there.
The Chamonix valley can be considered everything between Sallanches and the Swiss border, or the towns of: Servoz, Les Houches, Chamonix, Les Praz, Argentiere, and Vallorcine.
If you plan to fly to Geneva and hire a car, the route to Chamonix is relatively straight-
forward, covering a distance of 88kms. Chamonix is located 80kms southeast of
Geneva, Switzerland, and driving time is about one hour via the Autoroute Blanche
(A40) motorway. Chamonix is 226kms from Lyon and 612kms from Paris.
There is a regular airport transfer service direct to your accommodation operated by
http://chamonixshuttles.com from the airport to Chamonix, Argentiere & Les
Houches. The price is 25€ per person, each way.
